Design of wafer level optical lenses using a puddle dispensing process utilizes a mold to stamp down, or imprint, a puddle of optical lens material on a substrate thereby creating a lens within cavities of the mold. Prior technology utilizing the puddle dispensing process often creates air bubbles that cannot escape cavities within the mold. Such air bubbles are undesirable and greatly affect the quality of the lens design.
Furthermore, an edge of the mold associated with the maximum lens aperture typically has to press against the substrate such that the puddle of optical lens material can sufficiently disperse within the cavity defining the lens. However, many optical lenses are damaged during the imprinting process because the mold is in direct contact with the substrate.
To remedy the aforementioned problem, molds may not be imprinted the entire way to the substrate such that a base layer is formed between the substrate and mold edges. However, the base layer is typically of an undesired thickness. Furthermore, additional and unnecessary optical lens material is required to create the base layer, thereby increasing cost of manufacture.